Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade to be held Aug. 20-21, 2016

Community organization seeks volunteers to fill various planning and organizing committees in the lead up to region’s largest LGBTQ Pride event

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Pride, a local non-profit organization which creates programs and activities to enrich, empower, strengthen and make visible the unique lives and experiences of LGBTQ people in Charlotte and the Carolinas, has announced that it will hold its annual Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade in Uptown Charlotte, Aug. 20-21. The organization is currently seeking community members to join its various volunteer organizing committees to assist in planning for the region’s largest LGBTQ Pride event.

“Over the past several years, Charlotte Pride’s annual signature event has experienced phenomenal growth,” said Richard Grimstad, Charlotte Pride Co-Director. “Our growth has been the result of the determined commitment and the many hours of volunteer work donated by LGBTQ and ally community members who wish to empower and strengthen our local LGBTQ community. We’re looking forward to working again with dozens more community members in the planning of this year’s event.”

Volunteer organizing and planning committees cover a variety of roles and projects, including festival and parade logistics, entertainment, media and marketing, community outreach, awareness and fundraising events and more. Volunteers are needed for every committee.

VOLUNTEER WITH PRIDE: Two volunteer interest and introduction meetings will be held in January, one on Thursday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m., and a second on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2 p.m. Each will be held at the Charlotte Pride office, 1900 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205. Those interested in joining Charlotte Pride’s various volunteer committees are encouraged to attend.

The annual event will again be held in Uptown Charlotte, with the two-day weekend festival on S. Tryon St. and the Sunday, Aug. 21 parade held on N. Tryon St. In 2015, the event attracted over 120,000 visitors over the course of the weekend. Out-of-town visitors accounted for nearly 20 percent of the event’s attendance, creating $11.9 million in local economic impact, $7.2 million in direct visitor spending and generating nearly $500,000 in Mecklenburg County taxes, according to a 2015 economic impact report conducted by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

More information on this year’s annual festival and parade will be forthcoming at charlottepride.org.

Other upcoming events include the GayCharlotte Film Festival, slated for April 21-24, 2016. For more information, visit charlottelgbtfilm.com.

About Charlotte Pride: Charlotte Pride is the leader in LGBTQ visibility in Charlotte and the Carolinas. We present and collaborate on programs, projects, and activities, including the annual Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade, Trans* Pride, Latin@ Pride, and the GayCharlotte Film Festival, among others. Since its founding in 2000, Charlotte Pride has expanded its year-round programming and partnerships to better connect community members with its mission, vision, and values. It is now the third-largest LGBTQ Pride organization in the American Southeast.

About Charlotte Pride

Charlotte Pride is the leader in LGBTQ visibility in Charlotte and the Carolinas. We present and collaborate on programs, projects, and activities, including the annual Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade, Charlotte Latinx Pride, Charlotte Trans Pride, Charlotte Women's, and Reel Out Charlotte, The Queen City's Annual LGBTQ Film Festival, among others. Since its founding in 2000, Charlotte Pride has expanded its year-round programming and partnerships to better connect community members with its mission, vision, and values. It is now one of the largest LGBTQ Pride organizations in the American Southeast.Learn more about our work...